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Sunday, June 21, 2009

Fear of success?

I've had more bad hair days in the past couple of weeks than I've had in the whole year prior. And I just can't take it anymore! Especially since those bad hair days were all the result of straying from combos that I already know work for me. (By the way, that's not a photo of me. She looks a little better than yours truly of late.)

What the heck goes on in my mind, I wonder, when I decide to forego the tried and true in favor of the unknown? Do you do this too? Maybe I think I'll discover something new. Or maybe I just have a subconscious wish to look less than pretty. The old "fear of success" phenomenon. (Which, according to that link, I actually do have. Awesome.)

So what's to be done? I hereby vow, for at least this coming week, to use only products and combos that I know will work for me. Things I've tried before and really liked. This experimentation stuff has got to stop. I am sabotaging myself!

Plus, I really do need a haircut. That's probably not helping matters.

Oh Gosh YES! I have boxes full of Products that a certain curly had mailed to my house. She's going to be visiting and is saving money on shipping ;) GREAT for her BAD BAD BAD for me. I don't have time to experiment anymore, I've had a schedule change and can't risk bad days! I keep wanting to try CJ stuff but I'm really trying to be good here...Seriously I've got way too much stuff and not enough days to use them all. I need to STOP and only use what works..Sigh... It's a curse....

Hi Shantyana. I am always uncomfortable making recommendations for others because everybody's hair and environment are so different, but you asked, so I will tell you what I like!

In winter, I did like AOHR, but I found myself using Too Shea, Aloeba, and EO Rose and Chamomile most often.

According to my trusty spreadsheet, I tried a mix of Donna Marie Lock & Twist and AOMM, then applied B5. Result: frizz. And this is a perfect example of the self-sabotage I am famous for! I already knew Lock & Twist was not great but thought that with the addition of something else, it might work. WRONG! If only I'd just tried AOMM and BRHG together with nothing else, I might have achieved nirvana. Why don't you give it a try and let me know how it goes? I promise to try it too!

For summer -- and please remember that San Francisco summers do not produce the high dew points you get many other places -- I am happy alternating between EO Rose & Chamomile and Aubrey's GPB. Sometimes I will use Aloeba, too.

I have conditioners, shampoos, and styling products that have consistently given me great results every time I go back to them. But do I stick with them? No. I'm almost compelled to sabotage myself and try out another product. Doesn't help that I've got 5 boxes 7 boxes worth of product to go through.

I think as women we are always looking for "something better" and trying to acheive perfection. When that doesn't happen we feel defeated and like something is wrong with us. I am still trying to KISS with my products and routines and although I've changed it a little bit in the last 18 months since I've been on NC.com, it really wasn't a radical departure from my old routine. Like they say, If it ain't broke, don't fix it! :)

I think we believe that perfection could be just one combo away! I think its why one arm bandits are so successful.

I just got my hair cut two days ago, and it was the best thing I could have done. I kept putting it off because I wanted to give my hair time to transition (this is just my first month CG). I'm glad I went ahead and did it. It loooOOOoooooks so much better. I went ahead and got rid of the blue streak too. I think it clashed with all my warm colors! haha.

I finally bought and tried AOMM and AOB5. My latest entry is about them, w/ pictures. I like them a lot, especially the MM. I'll be buying this instead of KCCC. I am not sure if the B5 has enough hold for me so I use BRHG (my go to product) with MM and B5.

I will offer an alternate perspective. Many products are "marketed" to certain curl types i.e., AfroDetangler to 3C/4's. In the past, I would not have even considered trying them. Since coming to nc.com, I've learned to understand my hair better and what it needs. I follow certain posters to see what they're trying and liking.

My summer routine from last year was co-wash and condition with Kenra, then 4-6 puddles of CK and done. My hair looked pretty good and I go 7 days without having to do anything to it. But I never really liked it until Day 3 or later. I could easily have gone back to that routine this summer.

Instead, because of my stalking, I took a chance and tried a bunch of new things. Honestly, I don't think my hair's ever looked better. That being said, they were brand new products to me and not ones I had tried in the past unsuccessfully.

About Me

It's all about curls

After discovering that curls can be nurtured into fabulousness instead of frizz, I began my quest to cultivate healthy, moisturized hair. I don't use anything with sulfates or silicones, and like my hair at last! This blog is one way I am indulging my obsession.